1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the initial biochemical cycling of marine aquariums, and, more particularly to a method of rapid biochemical cycling of aquariums using naturally preserved granular marine substrate material, such as sand or aragonite, to rapidly denitrify the aquatic environment and to establish biochemical conditions that are favorable to the survival and viability of fish, crustaceans, invertebrates, and other marine aquatic life.
2. Description of Related Art
Aquariums have experienced a boom in popularity in recent years. Many saltwater aquariums include a diverse mix of tropical fish, live coral formations, and other exotic marine life. Saltwater marine organisms are directly affected by the chemical, biological, and physical characteristics of their environment. A number of environmental factors are critical to maintaining the delicate balance required for a healthy aquarium environment. Factors such as water temperature, pH level, lighting conditions, and complex chemical balances must constantly be maintained and monitored. The introduction of fish and other marine animals into an aquarium causes a series of chemical changes often resulting in chemical imbalances that are not conducive to aquatic life. It is therefore crucial to maintain a high level of water quality.
The initial set up of a marine aquarium typically requires a conditioning period that can take up to six (6) weeks depending upon the aquarium conditions and temperature. During the conditioning period the chemical composition of the water undergoes a series of changes and waste products can quickly build-up to levels that are toxic to aquarium life. The introduction of fish, plants, and food into an aquarium begins a natural process often referred to a “biochemical cycling”.
A significant change in the chemical composition of the water involves the accumulation of ammonia. The process begins when fish and invertebrates excrete waste. The excreted waste increases the amount of ammonia present in the water as a result of decaying food and organic compounds. Harmful ammonia and nitrite are constantly converted into less harmful nitrates, which in turn is used by plants and algae for food. Aquariums are full of both autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria that attach, grow, and form biofilms where the bacteria convert toxic nitrogeneous compounds and ammonia into harmless products. Nitrobacter and Nitrosomonas are examples of autotrophic bacteria that use oxygen to oxidize ammonia (NH4) to nitrite (NO2) and Nitrate (NO3).
Ammonia is a toxic waste product which, if unchecked, can accumulate and cause injury or death to aquarium inhabitants. In fact, the presence of ammonia in aquarium water is the main cause of death in aquarium fish. The primary sources of ammonia are decaying organic material (such as uneaten food) and waste excreted by fish, other animals and organisms. An ammonia level as low as 0.5 parts-per- million (PPM) creates stress in fish and compromises the natural immune systems of fish and other aquarium inhabitants. An ammonia level of 2 PPM has been found to cause the natural immune system of the fish and other aquarium inhabitants to fail or otherwise cease functioning. Accordingly, maintaining ammonia levels is critical to the health of the aquarium habitat.
The accumulation of ammonia is often caused by the lack of sufficient numbers of Nitrosomonas. Nitrosomonas is a genus of bacteria in aquaria that oxidize ammonia thereby regulating the ammonia level. Nitrosomonas, and other ammonia oxidizing bacteria, are found in natural abundance in marine materials, such as sand, aragonite, and crushed coral, harvested from the ocean floor. Nature provides many types of bacteria that, in the presence of oxygen, carry out the oxidation of ammonia to nitrites and eventually to nitrates in a process known as nitrification. It has been found that such bacteria settle on marine materials, such as aragonite (reef sand), and eventually form a biofilm. Marine nitrifying bacteria in the biofilm oxidize ammonia to nitrite, and nitrite to nitrate. Accordingly, these natural marine materials provide a natural source of ammonia oxidizing bacteria for use in maintaining ammonia levels in aquarium environments. Nitrate not utilized by plants is removed by other bacteria in the absence of oxygen (the anaerobic environment found in the lower levels of the sediment) in a process called denitrification.
While marine nitrifying bacteria are found in abundance in natural materials, such as aragonite harvested from the ocean floor, it has been found that there are generally three conditions that are required to maintain the nitrification process. These conditions are: (1) a surface upon which bacteria can attach, grow, and form a biofilm; (2) ammonia to start the process; and (3) an aerobic environment. The absence of any of the above-referenced conditions will either prevent or delay the nitrification process.
The initial set-up of aquariums presents unique biochemical circumstances that must be addressed in order to produce and maintain a healthy environment for marine life. The initial cycling of organic compounds in an aquarium started with dry sand or gravel often takes a period of several weeks during which an ammonia source (often only one or two small fish) provides an environment wherein beneficial bacteria to establish and begin to flourish eventually forming a biofilm. It has been found that the long initial cycling period realized when starting an aquarium with dry sand or gravel results from the time required for bacteria to attach, grow and form a biofilm on the previously dry, and organically inactive, sand and gravel. It has been shown that the initial cycling period can be substantially reduced by the introduction of bacteria rich “wet” sand and gravel that has been recently harvested from the ocean and thus contains an abundance of bacterial biofilm. Marine sand and gravel harvested from the ocean or riverbeds contain both autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria in their natural state (i.e. established biofilms on the sand particles), each of which facilitate the rapid cycling of an aquarium. Accordingly, there exists a need for a method of harvesting and packaging marine materials such as aragonite reef sand, gravel, crushed coral and the like, such that the bacteria remain metabolically and physiologically active for extended periods of time in excess of twelve (12) months in retail packaging at room temperature. There further exists a need for a method of introducing a harvested and packaged natural granular marine substrate material into an aquarium such that the biochemical cycling process performs rapidly, and the aquatic life is stabilized and maintained naturally.
It has proven difficult, however, to maintain ammonia oxidizing bacteria and other useful bacteria in a biologically active state during the extended period beginning with the harvesting of the material and ending with the purchase by a consumer and delivery into an aquarium; a time period often reaching up to six (6) months or more. The difficulty is increased where the harvested materials must be stored for extended periods in retail packaging at room temperatures. It has also proven difficult to provide a rapid biochemical cycling method containing an abundance of marine bacterial biofilm that closely resembles the natural ocean process in a miniature ecosystem such as an aquarium.
The background art reveals several references directed to preserving bacteria and the like, but none of the references adequately address the problems encountered in maintaining ammonia oxidizing bacteria in a bio-actively viable bio-film for extended periods. The background art also reveals several references directed to the biochemical cycling process involving artificial and external filtration methods, however, none adequately address the problems encountered when attempting to easily and effectively introduce natural granular substrate material into an aquarium, whereby rapid bio-cycling occurs, promoting a healthy and stable environment for aquatic life.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,707, issued to Bock, discloses a complex laboratory process for producing an aqueous suspension of nitrifying bacteria using a growth medium containing ammonia or nitrite, in which the bacteria remain metabolically and physiologically active even after a storage period of one year or more at 30° C. (i.e. approximately room temperature). According to Bock, air, pure oxygen, or a mixture of air and pure oxygen is passed through a gas permeable non-porous tube submerged in a suitable culture medium. As a result of positive aerotaxis, nitrifying bacteria adhere on the tube surface, forming a biofilm of extracellular polymers. The bacteria are grown in the dark at a constant temperature of 30° C. When a stationary growth phase has been reached the oxygen supply is stopped.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,301, issued to Bryan-Jones, a method whereby microorganisms are stored for long periods of time in storage mediums containing a high concentration of nutrients and growth inhibiting substances to maintain the microorganisms, such as bacteria, in the stationary phase of their growth cycle. The concentrated medium disclosed by Bryan-Jones contains an excess of essential nutrients while the microorganisms are in the “death phase.” When the concentrated medium is diluted to below the concentration that inhibits microorganism growth, the microorganisms will start to increase in number and grow. The claims of the Bryan-Jones reference are limited to bacteria selected from the group comprising Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus subtilus. E.g. claim 1. In addition, the '301 patent claims a bacterial culture kit having bacteria in a growth medium comprising from 10% to about 30% solids which function to delay the onset of the normal “death phase”. The solids are disclosed as waste products from a food manufacturing process or an alcohol fermentation process. See, e.g. Column 2, lines 46-58. Bryan-Jones discloses a storage medium consisting of wheat spent wash syrup and acetate/acetic acid buffer and sucrose. Bryan-Jones claims that an advantage of such a kit is that a sufficient number of the microorganisms will remain viable when the kit is sold to a consumer such that the microorganisms will start to increase in number and grow after purchase.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,542, issued to Cassidy et al., discloses a culture of Nitrosomonas packaged in a manner to induce a metabolic state of dormancy under conditions favorable for survival of up to at least one year at room temperature. Upon obtaining culturing media with the maximum obtainable cell concentration, the media is concentrated to approximately one twenty-fifth ( 1/25) of its volume by centrifugation or filtration. See Col. 3, lines 5-9. The concentrate is re-suspended in sterile water of “suitable salinity” and packaged in sterile opaque containers wherein Cassidy et al. claim that the cells will remain viable for at least one year. According to Cassidy et al., the majority of the re-suspended cells packaged in this manner enter a metabolic state of inactivity (i.e. dormancy). The disclosure further states that the preserved cells can at any time be returned to their metabolically active state by adding ammonium chloride (or other suitable salt) to the opaque container to bring the ammonia concentration to about 200 ppm. There is also disclosed a method for rapid reactivation to complete metabolic activity within about 72 hours and subsequent addition into aquaria to begin oxidation and prevention of harmful ammonia accumulation in aquaria.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,774, issued to Jin et al., discloses stabilized bacteria that can survive long term storage at high temperatures. According to the method disclosed by Jin et al., bacteria are dried until they reach a dormant state. Suitable methods include air-drying, vacuum drying etc. See, Col. 2, lines 1-3. Next Oxygen is then removed from the environment surrounding the bacteria to prevent oxidative damage to the dormant cells. The bacteria is then packaged and stored in material impermeable to gas and water vapor, whereby Jin claims the bacteria will remain stable and efficacious for at least a year.
Several patents have been issued in reference to biochemical cycling and filtration methods. U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,634, issued to Orensten, et al., discloses a filtration means and method for aquarium systems in which water in the tank is purified in a biological/mechanical external filtration device. The biological portion of the filtering process contains nitrifying bacteria to assist in keeping the ammonia concentration in the aquarium system at a safe, nontoxic level.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,914, issued to Englert, discloses an undergravel filtration system for an aquarium that assists in the removal of toxic waste products in the tank by creating and maintaining colonies of aquatic anaerobic bacteria.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,253, issued to Fuerst, et al., discloses a rotating biological aquarium filter system that fosters the growth of aerobic bacteria on the surface of the filter body, reducing the level of toxins within the aquarium water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,921, issued to Gargas, et al., discloses a fluidized bed aquarium filtration method for removing chemical and physical waste from an aquarium. The fluidized bed can include particles, such as sand, for removing ammonia from the water.
The methods disclosed by the background art fail to teach or suggest a method for rapid cycling an aquarium using bio-film attached to natural marine sand. Accordingly, there exists a need for a method of rapid cycling an aquarium using preserved ammonia-oxidizing bacteria available to consumers via retail sale and use in connection with saltwater aquaria. Furthermore, the background art fails to disclose a biochemical cycling method that includes granular substrate materials, such as aragonite reef sand, obtained directly from the ocean and containing the active biofilm required to present a true marine environment in an aquarium. Accordingly, there also exists a need for a method for introducing natural granular marine substrate material whereby rapid biochemical cycling occurs in connection with aquatic life in an aquarium.